308 THE BIRCHES 



sections of the country is liable to become hollow when large 

 enough for the saw. Trees sometimes attain a height of 

 ninety or one hundred feet and a diameter of four feet, but 

 such dimensions are rare. 



The wood is close-grained, heavy, strong, compact, hard, 

 but not durable when exposed to the weather or the ground. 

 The heartwood is light brown tinged with red, with sapwood 

 thin and nearly white. There is little difference between 

 spring and summer wood, and the medullary rays are small 

 and inconspicuous. It takes glue and stain readily, all 

 Birches do that, and so close an imitation of dark ma- 

 hogany is attained with it that only the very expert are un- 

 deceived ; yet a slight bruise will disclose the counterfeit. 

 It is used mainly for furniture and interior finish, veneers 

 for panels and seats, boxes, and for many purposes where 

 a rather hard and strong wood is required. It is fairly good 

 fuel and will serve a good purpose in the farmer's woodlot. 



Its companions in the forest are Black Cherry, White 

 Ash, Maple, Basswood, Black Birch, Beech, and it may 

 occasionally be found growing with Hemlock. In northern 

 New England, Yellow Birch grows abundantly with Red 

 Spruce. All the above-named hardwoods are far better for 

 timber than it is, and as they will grow in the same locali- 

 ties, and in the same soil, they would best be grown in its 

 stead. Add to this the fact that it will reproduce itself nat- 

 urally and it will be seen that any effort to grow it artifi- 

 cially, except, it may be, in the woodlot, would be useless. 

 Like the Black Birch, it will give an abundant flow of 

 slightly saccharine sap if wounded in late spring. 



PAPER BIRCH : Betula papyrifera 



IN many respects this tree resembles the Yellow Birch. 

 Both shed annual layers of dead bark when young, the 

 Paper Birch characteristically so. In old age the annual 

 layers of bark cease to separate and the bark becomes thick 

 and firm. This feature is taken advantage of by Indians 



